India, a land rich in dry beans,
peas and lentils, supplies to its general; populous a diet high in
protein, minerals, vitamins and fiber. These beans, peas and lentils
are classified as legumes, i.e., plants having pods with edible seeds
used fresh or dried. Dried legumes can be stored whole or split, and
when split they are called dals. The word dal has a common connotation
for all Indians, meaning a soup-like preparation made from any
leguminous plant. Dal is generally served with Indian bread or rice,
and sometimes it is eaten straight from the bowl as soup.

Legumes are enjoyed by everyone
because of its nutty taste and soft texture and occupy a very prominent
place in Indian cuisine because of its low cost and high nutritive
value. If the meals are properly supplemented with complementary
proteins, one could get a well-balanced diet inexpensively. Realizing
this, people starts including them in their daily meals. Their
flavorful,. Delicious and versatile quality led to the creation of
countless recipes thus enriching the vegetarian cooking with its
wonderful varieties. Dried beans,. Peas and lentils are cooked as a
vegetable or with vegetables and sometimes combined with protein foods
to make a main dish,. Or a side dish like a dip. Legumes are cooked in
many different ways by different cuisine�s, i.e., by mashing,. Mixing,
pureeing, stuffing or baking. When one becomes familiar with the
cooking methods,. Once can create innumerable recipes according to one�s
choice and liking.

Though legumes are high in protein
value, they are considered incomplete as they lack one or more of the
eight essentials; amino acids which are necessary for our growth. As
such, proteins consist of 22 amino acids, out of which 14 are made, in
the body and eight are to be derived from the plant protein. Plants
like nuts, cereals, beans, peans and lentils are high in protein. To
make complete proteins they must be judicially combined with each other
so that they can supply all of the eight amino acids necessary for a
healthy and strong body. But the question is how to combine foods to
make a complete protein? So, for the benefit of the readers a chart is
given to help plan a complete protein meal; for yourself and your
family.

Note: All the dried bean, peas and
lentils must be picked over carefully before cooking because it has
foreign particles and sometimes tiny stones. They must also be washed
thoroughly before cooking. If you do not have the beans, peas or
lentils, the recipe calls for try to substitute with the ones available
in the market. But make sure that split lentils are substituted with
split peas. I am sure your recipes will taste delicious and you will
add new recipes to your collection.

Mung Dal Delight

(Marvari mung ni dal)

1 cup mung dal
2 Tblsp ghee, butter, or oil

2 cups
water 1 medium tomato, chop fine

� tsp cumin
seeds 1 small capsicum, chop fine

1 Tbisp coriander-cumin powder Salt to
taste

� tsp
turmeric Juice of � lemon

� tsp hing
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves

for garnish
(optional)

1.Pick over and wash the dal.
Cover with water just above above the level of the dal and soak for
approximately half and hour.

2.Add 2 cups of water to the dal.
Bring to a boil on high heat. Turn down the heat and simmer on low for
about 20 minutes.

3.In a separate pan heat the
ghee and add the cumin seeds. As the seeds start to brown, add all the
dry spices. Saute the spice mixture for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and
capsicum. Saute for 3 minutes. Add this mixture top the dal.

4.Add salf and lemon juice to
the dal and cook for another 10 minutes.

5.Garnish with coriander leaves
(optional)

Server 4-6

Spiced Mung Beans

(Masala mung)

1 cup mung
beans � tsp turmeric

2 cups
water 1 Tblsp ground
coriander-cumin

1 tsp cumin
seed Salt to taste

2 Tblsp ghee or butter or
oil 1 tsp lemon juice

� tsp hing
� teaspoon chopped ginger root

1 tsp
paprika 1 tsp chopped coriander
leaves

or parsley

1.Pick over and wash the mung
beans. Soak beans overnight in water just enough to cover the beans.

2.Add 2 cups of water and bring
to a boil.

3.Add spices and all; the other
ingredients. Cook for 15-20 minutes until beans are soft and cooked.

4.Garnish with fresh coriander
leaves (or parsley).

Serves 4-6

Quick soaking method rebydrates dried beans
in little more than one hour. Bring the beans and water for soaking to
a boil. Boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and cover the pot. Let
stand in water for one hour and cook the beans. The beans can spoil if
they stand in hot water soaked for 2 top 3 hours.

Mung, Udad and Chana Dal

(Trevati Dal)

� cup mung dal
1 tsp garam masala

� cup udad dal
� tsp turmeric

� cup chana dal
1 tsp grated ginger root

3 cups water
Salt to taste

2 Tblsp
oil 1 green chilli, chop small
(opt)

2 tsp cumin seeds
4 heaping tsp yogurt

1.Pick over and wash dals
thoroughly. Place the dals in a pot with water, bring to a boil; and
simmer for 20 minutes, covered.

2.Heat the oil; in a small
saucepan and brown cumin seeds. Add spices and fry for 1 minute.

5.Serve in individual bowls.
Top each bowl of dal; with 1 heaping teaspoon of yogurt.

Serves 4-6

To grate fresh ginger root use a hand
grater. Peel the ginger opf its bark-like skin with a knife. Using a
grater with small holes, grate or shred the peeled ginger. If your
grater has several whole sizes use the side with the smallest holes.

Split Lentil Dal

(Masur dal)

1 cup masur dal
� tsp cayenne (optional)

3 cups water
1 medium tomato, chopped fine

1 Tblsp minced ginger root
2 Tblsp coriander leaves,

2 Tblsp ghee or oil
chopped fine

� tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste

� tsp paprika

1.Carefully pick over the dal;
and wash thoroughly in warm water until the water runs clear.

2.Place the dal in a saucepan,
add water and ginger and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the
sheet to low and simmer, partially covered,. For 20 minutes or until the
dal; is tender but still intact.

3.In a separate saucepan, heat
the ghee or oil. Add the cumin seeds and reduce heat to low.

4.When the cumin seeds starts to
brown, add the turmeric, paprika and cayenne (optional) Add the tomato
and saute the mixture for 5 minute. Add this oil mixture to the cooking
dal.

5.Add salt,. Lemon juice and 1
Tblsp of coriander leaves top the dal; and mix well.

6.Cook the dal on low heat.
Covered, for another 15 minutes or until the dal falls apart.

7.Garnish with the rest of the
coriander leaves and serve.

Serve 4-6

Lentils

(Masur)

1 cup lentils
1 tsp paprika

2 cups water
2 tsp grated ginger root

1 Tblsp oil
1 medium tomato, chopped

� tsp turmeric
2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp ground coriander-cumin
Salt to taste

1.Rinse lentils thoroughly and
drain.

2.Soak lentils in water to cover
for a minimum of 4 hours.

3.Bring lentils to a boil with 2
cups of water. Add oil spices, ginger and simmer on low heat, covered,
for approximately 20 minutes.

5.Add the cooked beans and the
yogurt/chick-pea flour paste to the spice mixture. Stir well. Turn
heat to low and cook, covered for 10 minutes.

Serves 4-6

A tip to remember: When cooking any beans,
lentils or peas do peas do not add any ingredients which are acidic
(e.g., lemon, tomatoes, vinegar) during cooking time. It retards the
cooking and softening process. Only when beans are done add the acidic
ingredients.

Chana Tuver Dal

1 cup tuver dal
3 tsp ground coriander-cumin

� cup chana dal
1 small green pepper, chopped

5 cups water
1 medium tomato, chopped

3 Tblsp oil
1 Tblsp Shredded
coconut

1 tsp mustard seeds
(fresh or desiccate)

1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp hing
2 tsp lemon
juice

� tsp turmeric
1 Tblsp coriander leaves,

� tsp paprika
chopped

1.Pick over and clean dal. In a
large colander, wash the dal under warm water until water runs clear.

2.Bring 5 cups of water and the
dal to a boil in a pan. Reduce the heat to very low, cover pan
partially and simmer for half an hour or until dal is tender.

If, by mistake, you have added extra salt to
a dish just add slices of raw potato, it will absorb the salt.

Mung Beans with Yogurt

(Dahiwala Mung)

1 cup mung beans
Salt to taste

2 cups water
4 tsp maple syrup

2 Tblsp ghee or charified
butter 4 tsp firmly packed, grated

1 tsp cumin seeds
fresh coconut

1 Tblsp ground coriander
� cup yogurt

1 tsp paprika
� cup chickpea flour

1 tsp turmeric
4 tsp loosely packed,
chopped,

1/8 tsp hing
fresh
coriander

1.Soak beans overnight in water
just enough to cover the beans (or soak at least 5-6 hours).

2.Add 2 cups of water and bring
to a boil.

3.In a saucepan heat the
butter. Add the cumin seeds. Cook briefly, stirring. Add the ground
coriander, paprika, turmeric and hing. Stir, and add the mixture to the
beans. Add half the coconut chopped fresh coriander, salt and maple
syrup. Bring to a boil and cover, Simmer over low heat, about 20
minutes or until beans are tender. Stir occasionally to redistribute
the heat so that they cook evenly.

4.Heat the yogurt in a small pan
until lukewarm. Add the chickpea flour to the yogurt and mix well. Add
this paste to the mung beans. Cook for 5-7 minutes and turn off the
heat.

5.Spoon into a serving dish and
sprinkle with remaining coconut and coriander.

Serves 4-6

Masala Lentils

(Masala Masur)

1 cup lentils (green or brown)
1 Tblsp coriander leaves or

4 cups of water
parsley , chopped

4 Tblsp ghee of butter
� tsp cayenne (optional)

Salt to
taste 2 large
tomatoes, chopped

Grind to a paste:

1 � inch piece of fresh
1 tsp cumin seed

ginger root
1 tsp poppy seeds

2 tsp coriander seed
2 Tblsp desiccated coconut

1.Pick over and wash lentils.
Soak in enough water to cover for at least 2 hours.

2.Add 4 cups of water cook
covered until the lentils are tender but still intact, approximately,
20-30 minutes.

3.While the lentils cook, grind
all the paste ingredients in a coffee mill or food processor until it
becomes a paste.

4.Heat the ghee or butter in a
separate saucepan. Add the paste and fry for about 3 minutes. Add the
paste mixture to the cooked lentils. Season with salt and cook for
another 5 minutes.

2.In a medium size pot bring the
water to a boil and add the dal. When the dal; starts boiling, lower
the heat and cook covered for 20 minutes or until the dal when pressed
between two fingers is easily mashed.

3.In a small pan heat the oil.
Add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start browning,. Add the
turmeric and chili powder (optional) and add this oil mixture to the
simmering dal.

5.Turn off the heat and serve
with chapatis, rice and okra vegetables.

Serves 4-6

Spicy Carrot Soup

3 Tblsp Basmati rice, steamed
� cup water

in � cup water
1 tsp salt

1 cup sliced carrots
� cup light cream

1 tsp minced ginger root
� cup water

1 clove
Sweet butter or
ghee for garnish

� inch piece cinnamon stick

1.Pick over, wash and steam
rice.

2.Simmer carrots and spices in �
cup water for 15 minutes. Allow to cool and transfer to the container
of an electric blender after removing the cinnamon stick. Add salt and
rice and blend thoroughly at high speed. With blender still running,
pour in the cream and remaining water.

3.If necessary, put the soup
through a sieve.

4.Reheat the soup and serve hot
in individual bowls, each bowl topped with a bit of sweet butter.

Serves 4-6

Yogurt Soup

(Gujarati Kadhi)

2 cups yogurt
4 � inch pieces of

3 Tblsp chick-pea
flour stick cinnamon

(gram
flour) 2 cloves

4 cups water
1 tsp grated ginger

2 Tblsp ghee or oil
3 Tblsp radish chopped fine

1 tsp cumin seeds
� tsp hing

� tsp fenugreek seeds
2 Tblsp chopped coriander leaves

Salt
to taste

1.Mix the yogurt, flour and
water in a blender.

2.Add salt to the mixture, pour
into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat
and continue to let it cook until the kadhi is thick (approximately 15
minutes).